Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-12-28
The Use Of q Glass Eye.

slightly optic out OF an unsightly
wound. 1t enables prudent person
also to sleep with one eye open. This
has always been regarded as meri-
torious achievement. The man who
does this is always looked upon by his
neighbors as up to 'snuff."
A distinguished merchant in con-
versation with a reporter the other
day remarked casually that he owed
his success in business to very sing
ular circumstance.
Indeed p
eyes. You must know / have a
glass eye."
II never remarked it."
mo, nor are any of my acquaint-
ances aware of it. 1t is triumph of
art in its way. My people in the store
haven't the remotest idea Of anything
of the kind. But the eye serves
useful purpose nevertheless. Its un-
winking stare will bring the truth
out of fraudulent clerk when moth
ing else will"
"One day." continued the gentle
man, II had reason to believe that
certain person in my store had got in
to tricky ways and was defrauding me.
l first arranged my eyes at certain
angle and walked over near his coun-
ter pretending to be examining a pile
of goods. The defective optic cover
ed his surroundings. He was waiting
on some customers at the time, and
soon became noticeably uneasy at the
fu,tive glare which encountered his
eyes when he raised them. soon
discovered that he was growing very
nervous, and l moved to another
place where my angle Of vision still
apparently kept him in view. BY
this time-he had been under fire per-
haps half an hour-I saw that his
nerves were fearfully shaken, and his
hand trembled visibly as he did up
the packages. There was a white
look upon his face that denoted in
tense agitation. I kept him under
fire perhaps an hour in all, and then
went to another part Of the building.
The next day brought the young
man again under the influence Of the
glass eye. This time his agitation Wis
IDLY increased, and he began to wear
harassed and hunted look that un-
der ordinary circumstances would
have appealed to my sympathies.
But l kept him in view and was re-
solved to see the outcome Of the ex-
pertinent. BY the end of the week
he was the most demoralized man l
ever saw in my life. When he had
reached this stage | called him into
my private Office. and fixing the glass
eye SO that it would meet his look
fairly, awaited the interview. He
was very pale and his hands trembled
nervously. l looked at him curiously
for moment and then inquired
"'Have you not something to tell
me?'
"He hesitated moment, and then
stammeringly replied
why, no sir What should l
tell you ?
Return to your work, then But
But as he turned away l remarked to
him. quietly, Il think you had better
tell me-
This evidently broke him up. He
came back aud sank into chair.
His face was pale as death, and his
eyes full of tears. oh, sir, he cried,
pray forgive mel and then it all
came out. He had been pilfering,
but so ingeniously that the thing
might have escaped detection for years.
But the glass eye broke down all the
barriers of hS cunning, and brought
him to book as perhaps nothing else
could have done. There is something
SO uncanny in the steady unwinking
glare of glass eye that few nerves
can resist it.
"But this is only one instance out
Of many. l got the reputation among
people of seeing everything that was
going on. My brother merchants and
traders gave up trying to impose on
me. They perceived from the steady
look in my eye that saw through their
maneuvers and dealt with me fairly.
There is another instance that /
will relate to you, where it served
good turn. One night in crowded
car pick pocket was industriously and
skillfully pursuing his calling. He
glanced up and saw that my eye was
fixed upon his proceedings. OF course
l didn't see his robberies, but he
thought did. and, passing me quick
ly, whispered in my ear, Don't peach
on me 7 fed from the car.
IL took in the situation on the in
slant, and, calling to my fellow pass
engers, gave pursuit and captured the
thief We found in his possession half